The rotary engine is back. Two decades after Mazda unveiled its last wankel-powered production car, the company that flew the flag for piston less engines longest will unleash a rotary MX-30 at the Brussels Motor Show this Friday. The long-awaited addition to the MX-30 crossover lineup won’t be strictly speaking rotary-powered, because the rotary engine will only be used as a generator to charge the MX-30’s tiny 35.5 kWh battery and extend its meager driving range.
Although Mazda claims that the MX-30’s
smaller battery helps keep the cost and weight of the crossover down and that
its 161 km driving range is enough to suit most buyer’s daily
requirements you can bet that more than a few potential buyers have been put
off by the MX’s lack of touring ability.
Mazda hasn’t yet released any technical
information about the new powertrain or any pictures of the new car, though
it’s no secret that the company has been working on a rotary range extender for
the MX-30. Mazda says the unnamed plug-in hybrid model will be available in
European showrooms this spring, but makes no mention of sales in the U.S. where
the EV version is only available in California. However, the company’s North
American operation has previously said it expected the MX-30 PHEV to be
available in the region.
The sole MX-30 model currently available
is powered by a single electric motor that sends 144 hp and 271 Nm to the front wheels. That’s enough to get the crossover to 100
km/h in 9.7 seconds, but the top speed is limited to only 140 km/h to
conserve range.
